Speaker Bios

Suzanne R. Fisher is a partner in the firm's Philadelphia office. With over 20 years of experience defending general insurance liability claims, she focuses her practice in product liability, premises liability, insurance coverage and litigation, motor vehicle, defense of municipalities, and hotel and resort matters.

Ms. Fisher's practice also encompasses commercial litigation matters including state licensing, state subsidy entitlement, matters arising from adoption practices, and an appellate practice. She also works with various underwriting departments in drafting automobile insurance policies in conformance with Pennsylvania law. She also has experience serving as an arbitrator and Judge Pro Tem.

Ms. Fisher is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Fisher graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Arts and Sciences. She received her law degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1993.

Anthony & Sylvan Pools is America’s largest builder of in-ground swimming pools, a privately-held company on the cutting edge of swimming pool design and innovation, having designed and built pools nationwide for over 70 years. Quality construction and excellent customer satisfaction are the company's hallmarks, as it builds pools that last a lifetime and backyards that amaze and provides aftermarket goods and on-line services to existing pool owners with professional and skilled pool designers, builders, and craftsmen.

Samantha is a seasoned transactions and regulatory attorney with nearly 20 years’ experience at leading global healthcare and pharmaceutical companies including Incyte Corporation and GlaxoSmithKline. For more than a decade she has concentrated in the area of pharmaceutical product development, manufacturing and supply chain operations, advising on legal and compliance issues associated with complex supply networks comprised of large internal systems and extensive contract manufacturing operations with annual operating budgets in excess of $10 billion. The breadth of the organizations and business units she has supported throughout her career has deepened her knowledge in areas spanning commercial transactions, GxP compliance, environmental health and safety, healthcare fraud and abuse, international trade and corporate risk management and compliance.

Samantha received her J.D. and LL.M. in Health Law from Widener University School of Law, and dual bachelor degrees in International Area Studies and Political Science from Drexel University. She is currently pursuing an Executive M.B.A. at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business and is expected to receive her degree in May 2019.

Samantha is a tireless supporter of corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring initiatives. She serves on the Board of Trustees for KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools, a network of college-focused charter schools in underserved local communities. She is also the founder of Jewels Advancing, Nurturing & Empowering (JANE), a non-profit organization which provides professional mentoring to high school and college students, as well as career counseling for young professionals. Samantha is also a devoted wife and mother.

April Rancier is an employment attorney and litigator who provides comprehensive and practical guidance for employers with respect to a wide array of employment issues. Such issues include, but are not limited to, employee policies and procedures, employee disciplinary issues, employee complaints and related investigations, classifying employees and exempt/non-exempt, and many other employment issues.

As an accomplished litigator, Ms. Rancier is well versed in federal and state court proceedings and has defended employers in both individual and class action wage and hour cases brought under The Fair Labor Standards Act and the comparable state laws. Ms. Rancier also represents employers in discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims filed under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the comparable state and local laws.

Teleicia J.R. Dambreville serves as Director, Employment Litigation Counsel for Burlington Stores, Inc., a Fortune 500 company with more than 40,000 employees. In her role as in-house employment counsel, she manages all aspects of employment litigation and disputes, including alternative dispute resolution. Dambreville develops litigation strategy, oversees outside counsel and handles all aspects of the arbitral process under Burlington’s early dispute resolution program. Prior to joining Burlington’s in-house legal team, Dambreville was a member of the labor, employment, benefits, and immigration section at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC’s Philadelphia Office. Dambreville’s national employment law practice encompassed various aspects of litigation and proactive counseling. She has extensive experience representing management in employment litigation matters, including discrimination and retaliation, wrongful termination and promotion, and harassment and hostile work environment claims and cases. Dambreville is a staunch advocate for diversifying the legal profession, having been a participant in the Philadelphia Diversity Legal Group’s (“PDLG”) diversity pipeline program, she routinely mentors diverse attorneys, publishes articles regarding legal department and law firm diversity efforts, and works with organizations whose mission is to recruit and retain diverse lawyers. Dambreville received the 2019 Young Alumni Achievement Award from Pennsylvania State University, was named to Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2017 & 2018, Billy Penn’s “Who’s Next” leaders in law list in 2017 and National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 in 2015. Dambreville serves on the board of Providence Center, a non-profit organization committed to providing educational programming to disenfranchised populations in the Fairhill area of Philadelphia—a community facing the highest poverty rate in the city and the PDLG Alumni Association, an organization established to connect alumni of the PDLG Fellows Program and support them in their practices and their continued efforts to foster inclusion and participation of diverse lawyers in the legal profession.

Nina Allen Blackshear is in-house Corporate Counsel at Incyte Corporation, supporting the Global Technical Operations division. In her role, she provides both legal and compliance advice, and drafts and negotiates a broad spectrum of contracts. Prior to joining Incyte, Nina was a Director of Development and Regional Giving at Temple University, and also worked for Merck in a variety of roles in both Global and US Marketing Communications, as well as Human Resources/Employee Relations. Nina’s legal experience includes working for Dechert LLP as a contract attorney and as a law clerk for the Honorable Charles H. Toliver, IV of the Superior Court of Delaware. Nina earned her BA degree in Political and Social Thought from the University of Virginia and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Amy provides legal and compliance support in a highly regulated industry with a focus on data security, vendor management and sound business advice for senior executives and all levels of the company from contract drafting and negotiation, including underwriting agreements, services agreements, confidentiality, and data security agreements, commercial property leases and insurance policy documents. She also assists in reviewing, updating and directing compliance with and training on company policies. She works in collaboration with Third Party Risk Management and Customer Audit Teams. In addition, Amy manages the company’s intellectual property.

Deborah Hong focuses her practice on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, joint ventures, and corporate recapitalizations and reorganizations. Her clients include a number of publicly held and privately owned companies in the pharmaceutical, technology, financial services, and consumer products sectors. Deborah also provides corporate and strategic business counseling for a variety of clients. She works extensively with both early-stage and mature companies that have intellectual property, including patents, as a core asset, including on acquisition, venture capital, and licensing transactions.

Lori Armstrong Halber is a partner in the firm's Philadelphia office. With an eye towards practical results, she has been representing management in all aspects of labor relations and employment law for over 20 years.

Lori has extensive experience defending employers before federal and state courts and administrative agencies in matters involving Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), with particular class and collective action experience.

Lori is a member of the firm’s Women’s Initiative & Leadership Council Steering Committee.

Lori was listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers - Rising Stars in 2007 and has been regularly selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers since that time. In 2006 she was selected as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer.

Lisa Detwiler is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of FS Investment Solutions, FS Investments’ wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary, responsible for both legal and compliance functions.

Prior to joining FS Investment Solutions, Ms. Detwiler served as Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon’s managed account business and General Counsel of Lockwood Advisors, a BNY Mellon subsidiary, and a member of its investment committee. Her prior experience includes serving as a partner at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, LLP, as Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and as an attorney at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She has more than 25 years of experience representing a variety of financial institutions in regulatory, transactional and governance matters.

Ms. Detwiler received her JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she was an executive editor of the Law Review and her BA cum laude from Mount Holyoke College.

Ms. Detwiler has been active in federal, state and local bar associations, including serving as Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Business Law section and Co-Chair of the Women in the Profession Committee. In 2016 she was recognized with the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Women of Distinction Award. She is also active in her community, serving on numerous civic and charitable boards, currently including the executive leadership team for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, the Board of Directors of The Forum of Executive Women, the Board of Directors of Philadelphia VIP, and as a Trustee of Westover School.

Rosaleen is a skilled attorney with in-house and law firm experience, handeling all aspects of sophisticated intellectual property and commercial law, including contracts, patent and trademark prosecution, and litigation. She has excellent technical capabilities combined with management skills focused on careful attention to detail and communication with clients ensures that their objectives are met and their projects are completed within time and budget constraints.

Prior to Drager, Rosaleen held the Senior IP Counsel position at Air Products, the Associate Attorney position at Woodcock Washburn and various trademark and prosecution responsibilities at Campbell Soup Company. She earned her Engineering Degree from Rutgers University, her M.B.A from San Jose State University and her J.D. from Rutgers Law School.

Tanya Bridges is a Senior Director of Business Development at Comcast. Before moving into this role, Tanya was a Senior Counsel at Comcast for 2 years where she focused on new technology, data privacy and security, and music matters. Prior to joining Comcast, Tanya worked at IAC, ESPN, and Dada Entertainment (Sony Music start-up). Tanya graduated from Howard University and Widener University School of Law, and is originally from Seattle, WA.

Samantha has a diverse practice litigating complex commercial disputes in jurisdictions throughout the United States. She represents clients in litigation involving antitrust matters, claims for breach of fiduciary duty, consumer fraud, complicated contractual claims, misappropriation of trade secrets and other business disputes.

Her ability to develop innovative arguments in complex litigation helps her clients pragmatically resolve disputes and has led her to play a leading role in the defense and overall strategy for many key clients. Samantha's clients operate in a wide range of industries, from consumer products, financial products and software, and insurers to retail, technology and medical devices and supplies.

Samantha has extensive experience in representing defendants in class actions and a deep understanding of the law of class certification, successfully defeating numerous class actions at various stages in litigation. She also has represented corporations and individuals investigated by the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission and various State Attorneys General. She has conducted internal investigations for corporate clients.

Samantha is co-chair of the firm's E-Discovery Team, a co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

For over 25 years, Kimya S.P. Johnson has been a champion for her clients in a career that spans law, politics, education, and diversity & inclusion management. Kimya serves as Co-Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Practice at Ogletree Deakins, one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms.

Kimya supports a wide range of employers in their efforts to provide legally-compliant, effective, and organizationally-integrative diversity and inclusion plans. She represents clients by providing D&I-related compliance and risk-reduction services, D&I program assessment and implementation assistance, and D&I-integrated business strategy and leadership development opportunities.

Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Kimya served as the first Director of Diversity & Inclusion at an AmLaw 100 law firm and she also practiced law in the labor and employment group. In her diversity management role, Kimya led the firm’s efforts to recruit, develop, retain, promote and advance diverse attorneys across the firm’s 26 offices in the U.S., Europe and Canada. Working closely with executive leadership and management across company functions, Kimya built systems, developed processes, and executed a host of programs designed to increase diversity within the firm and to promote its core value of inclusion. As an employment lawyer, Kimya handled the myriad of employment and labor-related matters, including affirmative action/EEO law, employment discrimination claims, complaint reporting, procedures and investigations, downsizing processes, wage and hour disputes, and union/management relations at the state and federal levels. She also provided human resource counseling, management/workforce training, human resource policy and handbook creation, and litigation defense to clients across a range of industries.

Kimya was recognized as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer, as a “PA Rising Star in Employment & Labor” by SuperLawyers Magazine, and as an “Influential Woman” by the NAACP, Philadelphia Chapter. She also received the “MultiCultural Leadership Award” from the National Diversity Council.

Kimya has been directly engaged with a host of community, educational, political and social service endeavors for decades. Before practicing law, Kimya was a public elementary school teacher in South Bronx, New York and received the Sallie Mae Excellence in Teaching Award. More recently, she served as Campaign Manager for a candidate for U.S. Congress who garnered more votes than any other primary challenger candidate in the state. Further, Kimya has first-hand experience with non-profit incorporation, management and governance through, among others, Dare to Imagine—an organization that began in her home in 2014 and has since grown to over 700 members with a campus in East Mount Airy, Philadelphia. She currently serves on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, Dare to Imagine Church, Inc., and Dare to Imagine Community Development Corporation.

Kim R. Jessum is Chief IP Counsel U.S. and Associate General Counsel at Heraeus Incorporated in Langhorne, PA and Secretary of Heraeus Materials Technology North America LLC in Chandler, AZ. Heraeus is a Fortune Global 500 company specializing in precious metals, materials and technologies; sensors; biomaterials and medical products; as well as quartz glass and specialty light sources. Kim is responsible for providing intellectual property and general legal advice for various business units in the United States and worldwide. Kim received her bachelors degree in chemical engineering and applied science from Lehigh University in 1992 and her masters degree in biopharmaceuticals from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. She was awarded her law degree and Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology in 1997. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She holds various leadership positions in the American Bar Association, including the Financial Officer for the Intellectual Property Law Section and serves as a board member and co-chair of the IP Committee of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Corporate Counsel.

Raina Mehta is Senior Counsel at PNC Bank supporting the Real Estate Banking and Tax Credit Solutions lines of business of the Bank. She is also the Vice Chair of PNC Legal’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, whose mission is to create a more inclusive and diverse department and environment that promotes the success of all members, and to build strategic relationships that foster those same behaviors in the legal industry at large. In 2017, Raina was selected by PNC’s General Counsel for a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellowship, where she attended a year-long, multi-tiered professional development and leadership series designed to connect high-potential attorneys with each other and with General Counsel and Managing Partners from leading corporations and law firms with a goal of producing attorneys with strong leadership and relationship skills who are committed to fostering diversity within their individual institutions and the profession at large. In 2018, Raina was selected as a Member of the Forum of Executive Women, a not-for-profit organization recognized as the source for leveraging the collective power of women’s leadership in the Philadelphia region to increase the number of women in leadership roles, expand their impact and influence, and position them to drive positive change in the region. Over the past 5 years, Raina has provided pro bono legal advice and mentorship to real estate developers in the Philadelphia region focused on investing in and redeveloping real estate in target areas that will create socio-economic impact and encourage holistic community revitalization of entire neighborhoods. Raina holds a J.D. from Temple University, Beasley School of Law; and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School for Communication.

Tara L. Smith is the Deputy Corporate Secretary and Senior Corporate Counsel for Campbell Soup Company. Tara provides legal and strategic advice to Campbell’s board of directors, CEO and senior management team on a wide range of issues relating to corporate governance, securities law, executive compensation, compliance and enterprise risk. She is also responsible for managing the company’s communication efforts and ongoing engagement with certain long-term investors and oversees the company’s enterprise risk management program. Tara is a leader within the Women of Campbell network and was included on the 2016 list of “Women Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Prior to joining Campbell, Tara was an Assistant Vice President in the legal department at Toll Brothers, Inc., a publicly-traded luxury homebuilding company based in Horsham, PA. At Toll Brothers, Tara’s responsibilities included: securities law and related regulatory compliance; corporate governance; executive compensation; and ethics and compliance. Tara began her career as an associate in the Philadelphia office of Morgan Lewis, advising large companies in the areas of corporate and securities law.

Tara attended Duke University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science. At Duke, Tara was on the Dean’s List and inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta – the International Sociology Honor Society. She was also a member of the Black Student Alliance. Tara received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was a two-time regional semi-finalist in the Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition, and a member of the Black Law Students Association, Penn Law Democrats and Entertainment, and Sports Law Society.

Tara serves on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors and on the Board of Trustees of the Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School. Tara previously served on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Valley chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Board of Directors of the AIDS Law Project, and the planning committee for Toll Brothers’ annual fundraising gala for the American Cancer Society.

Tara resides Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania with her husband Greg, and their son, Nigel.

Amy Piccola represents clients facing complex commercial litigation particularly for the insurance and higher education industries. Her work for insurers and reinsurers includes matters related to bad faith, failure to pay, and breach of contract. She also collaborates with other insurance attorneys in the firm to keep the industry apprised of developments in the law of insurance bad faith claims through the publication of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr's monthly Bad Faith Sentinel.

In addition to representing colleges and universities in litigation, Amy provides them with advice on issues of compliance, policy, and liability. She also provides counsel to higher education institutions during investigations, particularly those involving the Clery Act and Title IX.

In addition to her bar admission in Pennsylvania, Amy is barred in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

On the pro bono front, Amy assists veterans in obtaining benefits from the Veterans' Administration. She has also represented multiple criminal defendants pursuant to Criminal Justice Act appointments.

Vivian Hunter Turner advises employer-sponsored welfare plans on employee benefit compliance issues under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ERISA, and COBRA. Additionally, she counsels clients on implementing wellness program that comply with applicable regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, and the HIPAA wellness rules.

Vivian’s background includes a wealth of experience in HIPAA Privacy and Security regulations. Prior to joining Groom, Vivian served as assistant general counsel and privacy officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. Based on her extensive HIPAA privacy and security background, she facilitates HIPAA Privacy training and counsels clients in connection with self-audits under the HIPAA Privacy Rules. Vivian also advises clients on how to respond to data breaches under HIPAA’s regulations and applicable state laws.

Vivian routinely negotiates service provider and pharmacy benefit management agreements and negotiates employer group waiver plan (or “EGWP”) pharmacy benefit management agreements. Vivian’s expertise extends to Medicare Part D, on which she assists clients with regard to ERISA’s fiduciary obligations in relation to pharmacy rebates. Vivian also advises and assists employer plan sponsors and issuers in responding to Department of Labor investigations.

Jennifer Mahan serves as Assistant General Counsel – Americas at FMC Corporation, a global crop protection chemical company with over 7,000 employees. She is responsible for providing legal advice on commercial and regulatory matters. She joined FMC in 2008 as Business Counsel for the FMC Agricultural Solutions business. Prior to joining FMC, Jennifer was Director of Corporate Governance at PJM Interconnection and Assistant General Counsel at PQ Corporation. Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University in 1993 and her juris doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1997.

Melissa Sullivan is Associate General Counsel at Ascensus, a technology-enabled solutions provider that helps more than 7 million Americans save for retirement, college, and healthcare. She is the lead counsel on legal matters for Ascensus’ retirement business, providing guidance on risk management, data privacy, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, employment, and compliance.

Prior to joining Ascensus, Melissa worked as an associate at Lowenstein Sandler, specializing in private M&A and technology start-ups. She received a degree in English from Rutgers University and her law degree from Boston University, where she served as an editor of the International Lew Review. Melissa is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Ingrid has more than 30 years of legal experience in private equity fund formation, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, and SEC investment adviser and broker/dealer registration and compliance.

Ingrid spent 22 years as in-house counsel to a Philadelphia-based private equity and real estate investment boutique with 12 years as a principal and member of the investment committee. As counsel, Ingrid managed the legal work for more than 100 investment funds with strategies ranging from private equity funds of funds, private equity investment funds, real estate investment funds, hedge funds of funds, structured finance funds, and other alternative investment funds. Many of these investment funds involved negotiating joint venture agreements with strategic or operating partners, including complex governance and waterfall provisions. As a member of the investment committee, Ingrid was involved in the early stages of the investment decision-making process and understands the business considerations that impact private equity and real estate firms. Ingrid has managed registered investment adviser and broker-dealer compliance programs, as well as represented the registrants during examinations by the SEC and FINRA.

Ingrid returned to private practice in 2011. She served as the Philadelphia office managing partner of a Detroit-based law firm, and continued to represent her former private equity and real estate investment firm, as well as other private equity, real estate, and corporate clients.

Ingrid earned her undergraduate degree from Villanova University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Villanova Law School, where she was an editor of the Villanova Law Review.

Meera is an experienced M&A attorney and trusted legal advisor to businesses and executives throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.

As a trusted legal advisor, Meera often serves as primary outside general counsel to those companies with limited or no in-house legal capabilities. In doing so, Meera works with businesses to implement legal strategy by negotiating and documenting arrangements involving customers, vendors, strategic partners, employees and owners. Her reputation among clients is that of a problem solver who delivers cost-effective legal solutions.

In addition, Meera is a leading M&A attorney, who routinely navigates clients through mergers, acquisitions, sales and other strategic ventures – whether as lead counsel for sellers, buyers and investors or as local counsel for publicly-traded companies acquiring Pennsylvania-based businesses. In the Pennsylvania M&A community, Meera is widely-regarded as a premier “deal quarterback” and “closer” who steeps herself in the transaction, sweats the details, executes tirelessly and closes deals.

Active in the community and the ﬁ rm, Meera is a member of the Board of Directors of Operation Medical and Tres Bonne Annee. In addition, in 2015, Meera was selected as one of Central Penn Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award recipients. She is a frequent speaker on various legal topics for business organizations and trade groups.

Kara A. Dougherty is currently Associate General Counsel at FIS Global, where she serves as counsel to a variety of internal clients, including FIS’s Wealth & Retirement and Risk & Compliance business units. In addition to providing general legal advice to these business units, Kara serves as a member of their executive teams and manages lawyers and other legal resources who negotiate technology agreements with these business units’ clients. FIS is a global leader in financial services technology (FinTech) and services more than 20,000 clients in over 130 countries with over 53,000 employees worldwide.

Prior to joining FIS Global (then SunGard Data Systems), Kara was an associate in the Philadelphia office of Blank Rome, where she worked in the Corporate and Securities group. Her practice at Blank Rome focused on assisting clients with periodic SEC reporting and securities offerings, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She worked for clients in a variety of industries, including Technology, Online Retail, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Financial Products.

Kara graduated with a JD from Villanova University School of Law and a BS in Anthropology and Economics from Tulane University.

Jennifer Guy is Counsel - Dispute Resolution at Hilton Hotels & Resorts. She is an experienced lawyer with a demonstrated history of working in the law practice industry. She graduated from George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School.

Alicia T. Ashfield is the Associate General Counsel and International General Counsel and Global Trade Compliance officer for Church & Dwight (Arm & Hammer), a multi-billion CPG company with multiple iconic brands, I manage six subsidiaries and business conducted in over 135 countries. My Global role in a complex Global environment offers incredible challenges and insights and appreciation of legal and commercial situations. I specialize and offer counsel to a wide array of clients and functions in the areas of commercial transactions including licensing, export, M&A, E-Commerce (D2C), Real Estate, Import, Export, Anti-Bribery, and Anti-Trust Competition. I learn something every day as a legal generalist and pride myself on the integrity and risk balance I bring to our Company and our great employees and business partners and consumers.

Benefits arrangements generally reflect a company's business philosophy, budget constraints and market influences. With this in mind, Vanessa Scott helps employers design competitive benefits packages that comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code and the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Drawing on more than 15 years of experience in employee benefits, Vanessa works with some of the nation’s leading companies, including global insurers, airlines and financial services organizations. She provides counsel on a broad range of issues, from comprehensive, company-wide benefit plans to the individual compensation arrangements that attract and retain key personnel. She also has significant experience advising large employers and insurance companies on ACA compliance issues. Additionally, Vanessa currently serves as Eversheds Sutherland (US)’s Chief Diversity Officer. Vanessa previously served as Legislative and Tax Counsel for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives where she specialized in financial services policy and legislation. Prior to joining Eversheds Sutherland (US), she was Legislative Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) in Washington, D.C., where she represented the benefits and compensation interests of Fortune 100 employers before Congress, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Doreen E. Lilienfeld is Global Head of the Governance & Advisory Group and the Team Leader of the Compensation, Governance and ERISA practice.

She focuses on a wide variety of compensation-related matters, including the design and implementation of retention and compensation plans, disclosure and regulatory compliance, and employment negotiations with senior executives. She has advised both U.S. and non-U.S. issuers on corporate governance and regulatory requirements relating to compensation and benefits matters and high profile individuals in their employment and severance negotiations.

Doreen has been a resident in the Frankfurt, London and Bay Area offices of Shearman & Sterling. For the past sixteen years, Doreen has spearheaded the publication of the Shearman & Sterling survey of the compensation-related corporate governance practices of the largest 100 domestic issuers. She is a lecturer in Executive Compensation at the Berkeley School of Law.

Doreen is the winner of the Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law Award for Best in Corporate Governance (2018) and was included in the “Notable Women in Law” list by Crain’s New York Business (2019).

Served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO of a leading retailer. Her expertise driving an agenda to fuel business transformation and long-term strategy. She worked with the executive leadership team to develop and implement key strategies. She adepts at crafting key PR and IR communications for the CEO. She served as Assistant Corporate Secretary for the Board of Directors, with responsibility to advise the Board on executive compensation and corporate governance matters, as well as draft board agendas and board materials. In addition she is an experienced in-house and law firm corporate attorney managing internal and external legal resources, multibillion- and multimillion-dollar M&A transactions and securities offerings for companies across multiple industries.

Kajal Alemo is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is a member of both the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations.

Before joining Pond Lehocky, Ms. Alemo practiced for a large Philadelphia law firm, where she assisted senior counsel with the coding of potentially discoverable corporate documents, including privilege determinations. Previously, Ms. Alemo practiced as a contract attorney for Comcast Corporation in Philadelphia.

Ms. Alemo has been recognized by The Legal Intelligencer for her pro bono work. She has also been recognized by the Philadelphia Bar Association for outstanding work in public service and is a recipient of the Dorothy Day Public Service Award. In 2016, she joined The Legal Intelligencer’s Women in the Profession Roundtable to discuss the issues women face in the legal profession today and proposed solutions.

A graduate of Villanova University School of Law, Ms. Alemo was the Villanova Law student director of Face to Face Legal Clinic for the Pro Bono Society. She interned at the Face to Face Legal Clinic during all three years of law school. Ms. Alemo was the President/Justice of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity’s King Chapter and a Villanova Law student ambassador. In addition, she was a student attorney at the Villanova Law Civil Justice Clinic and one of the editors of a legal textbook regarding law and business enterprise.

Prior to law school, Ms. Alemo obtained a B.A. in Psychology from George Washington University, graduating in 2008 on the Dean’s List. She is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International. Under her leadership, Phi Alpha Delta’s King Chapter was awarded most improved chapter in its district.

Mu draws on over 10 years of experience in patent procurement, portfolio management and infringement analysis, with emphasis on software, telecommunication, video compression and streaming, consumer electronics and medical devices.

She is a frequent speaker at conferences, universities and seminars on patent law and women’s career advancement. Mu is also very passionate about supporting and empowering women and founded the Philadelphia Women in IP Mentorship program in 2015.

Mu attributes her technical expertise to her “tech years” before her legal career. “I spent years climbing the corporate IT ladder,” Mu said, “I started off as a programmer, then managed a portion of a multi-million-dollar software development project, and towards the end of my IT tenure, I managed a team of system analysts.” When she interviews new associates, she likes to ask the interviewees whether they could read source code. “We pride ourselves on being the best in software and telecommunication industries. That requires us to recognize and recruit highly technical attorneys,” Mu adds.

At Condo Roccia Koptiw, we believe expert knowledge and informed dialogue fuels our mission to make our clients’ lives easier and our people’s lives more fulfilling. As a 20-attorney IP boutique in Center City Philadelphia, we represent clients in all intellectual property disciplines, with expertise in electrical engineering, computer software, biochemistry, chemistry and mechanical engineering.

Charlene Gedeus represents private and public employers in labor and employment-related disputes in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies, as well as in the arbitral forum. Experienced in both single-plaintiff matters and class actions, her practice includes defending claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, unlawful harassment and hostile work environment claims. Charlene counsels employers from industries as diverse as retail, food service, education and manufacturing.

As a complement to her litigation practice, Charlene also provides extensive pre-litigation day-to-day advice and tailored counseling to employers with the objective of preventing and managing litigation risks. She counsels management and Human Resources personnel on a myriad of employment-related issues, including performance management/discipline, workplace accommodations, FMLA compliance, terminations and employment best practices. Charlene also assists employers in developing and implementing employment policies and programs in accordance with state and federal employment laws.

In 2017, Charlene was named one of Philly Biz’s Women to Watch.

Charlene prides herself on being responsive and providing candid counseling with plain English advice that clients are able to put into practice with ease. Understanding that litigation is inherently tense, she takes great care to keep her clients well-informed to limit surprises. Her main goal is to collaborate with clients to learn their business, understand their goals and craft practical solutions.

A native New Yorker of Haitian descent, Charlene enjoys cooking and entertaining, and considers herself a Caribbean Martha Stewart. Charlene is a mother of two boys.

Previously, Charlene served as a law clerk to the Honorable Petrese B. Tucker in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.